Simply Roasted Beets

We did it! We tried beets for the first time tonight and they were a HUGE success. The husband was VERY hesitant and was actually a little upset when I told him I was making them. He had that eye roll, oh God here we go again, kind of look.

He watched me pull them out of the oven, peel them and put them on the plates with this expression…

LOL He was not happy.

I made up the plates, sprinkled a little kosher salt on them and surprise… surprise.. he liked them.

“Hmm these aren’t that bad.”
“Beets can’t be beat!”
“Who would have thunk it? I like beets!”

and my favorite from the Little Guy, “I LOVE beets!”

I enjoyed them as well. Honestly, I never liked beets. My mom is a huge fan and she’d buy canned ones all the time. I’ve tried a few bites growing up but could never get past the texture.They still have a texture thing but being roasted and sprinkled with a little salt just brought out such an amazing sweetness I didn’t mind it. Every bite seemed to be better than the last. I will totally make these again!

Here how I made my first batch of beets…

1-2 bunches of beets (I used all that I had from the farm this week)

2 tsp olive oil

Kosher Salt

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.

Here’s the beets I scored at this weeks farm pickup.

Cut off the greens. They can be eaten as well but I haven’t taken that leap yet. Baby steps. :)

Cut off the root and top. Look at the amazing color!

Pile the beets on a large sheet of aluminum foil. Drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with salt.

Fold over the foil and make a pocket.

By the way, in case you ever wondered why I took such closeups. I’m normally cooking in a mess. A fun mess but still a mess. :)

Place the foil packet of beets on a cookie sheet in the oven and roast for an hour. The should be fork tender but not falling apart.

Let the beets cool for a bit and then simple rub off the out skins. They came off super easy.

I cut them in quarters and served with a bit of kosher salt alongside roasted chicken legs and peas.

Each beet is only about 35 calories, with 0 fat and 2 g of fiber. The three of us polished this batch off so I’ll base the nutritional info on that. I do have to say that we were all very full after dinner!

I kind of like beets, too...sometimes! I do them like you, but I also add a drizzle of balsamic vinegar and some chopped garlic.
We had roast chicken tonight, too...I used garam masala and Himalayan pink salt on bone in breasts and then I did a weird thing with some frozen green beans...I cooked them in a bit of frozen orange juice concentrate (straight out of the can), & a tiny bit of butter on the stove and toward the end I added some drained canned mandarin oranges and a few chopped smoked almonds. It was pretty good, but my kids hated it (& the sweet potatoes) I wanted to add a couple dried cranberries, but I didn't have any. Reply

I've always liked beets ... usually of the pickled variety. But I've also sliced them thin and baked them into "chips."
I think I'm going to try this recipe, though. Reply

Krista S.

September 19, 2010

My kids are SO picky about vegetables. I don't know what happened because they ate REALLY well (much like Ryan) as babies and toddlers and then all the sudden...PICKY. I keep trying different things, though so they get exposed to lots of stuff. Reply

Just an FYI if you're not a big beet eater... Things on the other end (if you catch my drift) can tend to be a little red. Don't be surprised, it's perfectly normal, especially if you eat a lot of them. Was that subtle enough? Reply

I tried them roasted for the first time this winter, and loved them! Glad they were a hit with the family.
Oh, and I have to take closeups too, otherwise I might actually have to clear the dining room table, which serves double duty as my home office. :) Reply

Barb

September 20, 2010

Hi Roni, I make fresh beets all the time, but what i do is peel them and then cut them into chunks and then roast them in the over with some pam sprayed on and some salt. I don't cover them with foil. They get brown on the edges and they carmelize a little. So Yummy!! Just another idea :) Reply

This is my favorite way to prepare beets! I've put them in salads with arugula, walnuts, and goat cheese, or served them plain. They always taste delicious. Reply

Nikki

September 20, 2010

Hi Roni! I just wanted to let you know that beet greens taste a lot like spinach, so you'd probably like them. :-) Reply

Rochelle

September 21, 2010

You'll have to try roasting them with sweet potatoes and seasoning salt...super yummy! Reply

Megan

September 28, 2010

I remember trying pickled beets as a child and not liking them. Now as an adult I have been trying things I have never tried before of disliked as a child. I made these beets tonight and they were great. I did have a problem peeling them, so I used a vegetable peeler. I think mine (3 large in my bunch) needed to be cooked a bit longer then they would have been easier to peel. Still good though! I will definitely make them again. Reply

Sandy

April 3, 2011

Note to self... Make these and make them often!! Sounds delish! The salad idea with them also sounds to die for! Reply

Okay, my husband hates beets too, and I love them! I grew up with the canned, sliced kind, and still love them today. My kids sometimes do too (fickle!).
I saw raw beets at the market yesterday and my 4-year old said "Mmmmmm, yum!" yet she's never had them... wonder where she got that idea? Anyway, I brushed it off and passed them by. I'm going back today to pick them up and try them! Fresh beets.... hmmmm... exciting!
THANKS for the idea. Reply

BarbC

July 6, 2012

YUM! I have never been a fan of beets, but thought I would give them a try after reading this. I think that beets are now my new favorite vegetable - they are so delicious...BUT, I had not read the comments and no one warned me about the "after effects" of eating many beets - EVERYTHING had a purple color, if you catch my drift LOL - yikes! Now that I know that I will keep on eating them!!! Reply

Lurl

July 13, 2014

Can't wait to try this today! Why are there any WW points at all? Veggies are free and the olive oil doesn't amount to that much for 3 servings... Reply

I’m Roni, a 30-ish working mom with a passion for coming up with lite recipe ideas. In ‘05, I started a weight loss blog to help me lose 70 lbs! Now my focus is to archive and share my food ideas.
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